Dr. W. Gifford-Jones: Bad mood all the time? What’s on your plate?

Monday

Do you feel like kicking the cat? Or telling the boss to go to hell? Or feel that it’s getting harder and harder to get your act together each day? If so, the solution may not be to reach for Prozac.

Do you feel like kicking the cat? Or telling the boss to go to hell? Or feel that it’s getting harder and harder to get your act together each day? If so, the solution may not be to reach for Prozac. Some authorities claim the answer may be on your dinner plate. So how does food affect our moods?

Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy, professor of medicine with the University of Toronto, reports in The Medical Post that certain foods are often associated with a feeling of happiness and an optimistic mood.

Jeejeebhoy cites studies from the department of psychology at the University of Wales. Students were given a variety of breakfast combinations. Researchers discovered that a breakfast low in calories, carbohydrates and fat — but high in fiber — gives a boost to happiness and helps memory.

Jack Challen, a food expert, reports that people’s moods have become worse in recent years due to a combination of stress and junk foods. He says this leads to irritability, impatience, anger, panic attacks, fuzzy thinking and addictive behavior.

But does science back up these claims? Researchers say that food intake affects mood due to biochemical messengers in the brain called neurotransmitters. These control mood, thoughts and behaviors. Serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine are the most sensitive neurotransmitters.

Serotonin has a calming effect, providing a general sense of well-being. So if you’re having a gloomy day, concentrate on stress-buster carbohydrate foods that release serotonin, such as whole grains, high-fiber cereals, fruit, particularly bananas and avocados, chicken, rice and potatoes.

Dopamine and norepinephrine are responsible for alertness, increased energy and speedier reaction times. So if you feel sluggish, what you need is a good source of protein such as meat, chicken, fish, nuts, soy products, eggs and dairy products, all rich in these neurotransmitters.

Tired at lunchtime? Add four ounces of protein to the noonday meal. If you have trouble sleeping, increase the amount of carbohydrate at the evening meal.

But remember, overeating, regardless of the amount of protein in a meal, is a prime cause for drowsiness. That is why heads start to droop after the Thanksgiving dinner as food-overload directs blood to the stomach and away from the brain. Light meals that contain 300 to 500 calories are the right prescription for an alert mind.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood — particularly salmon, shrimp and lobster —along with walnuts may also help to decrease depression.

Nutritionists say that drinking several glasses of water daily keeps people well hydrated and combats moodiness. So be careful on an up-and-down day to limit caffeine and alcohol intake, as they’re both diuretics causing urinary frequency and dehydration. But also note the beneficial and relaxing effects of an alcoholic drink at day’s end.

One clear message is to limit sugar intake. Foods high in sugar are bad mood foods. They provide a short temporary lift in mood, but an hour later the “sugar highs” are followed by “sugar blues.” This means shunning snacks and packaged foods usually loaded with sugar.

Still feel that you want to kick the cat? Before you toss in the towel and reach for Prozac, try a little chocolate, which contains more than 300 compounds that have an effect on mood.

Chocolate has been used for centuries for health-inducing purposes. The Aztecs concocted a frothy, chocolate beverage that was believed to impart vitality and wisdom. It’s been reported that Casanova ate chocolate before each of his many sexual escapades. Maybe this helped Casanova. But what about his partners? A study done several years ago showed that more than 50 percent of women surveyed preferred chocolate to sex!"

Today, due to the stress of modern society, too many people reach for anti-depressant drugs which are associated with side-effects. It makes much more sense to first try changes in lifestyle. A healthy diet is a good start. And we know that daily exercise increases the body’s supply of endorphins, a morphine-like substance that makes the sky look bluer.

Try these measures. Even the cat will be pleased with less of that syndrome in the home.

See the Web site www.mydoctor.ca/gifford-jones

Dr. W. Gifford-Jones is actually Dr. Ken Walker, a practicing physician in Toronto who writes many columns at his Bristol Harbour, N.Y. residence.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.